Iowa contest was too close to call early Wednesday, but strong showing by former Pennsylvania senator moves him to front of the Republican pack.

WASHINGTON — Surging long shot Rick Santorum broke into the upper tier of Republican presidential candidates with a stunning finish in Iowa, a state acutely attuned to the former Pennsylvania senator's socially conservative beliefs.

Shortly after midnight, still neck-in-neck with Mitt Romney for first place, Santorum addressed a room of Iowa supporters, beginning simply with: "Game on."

He thanked God, his family and Iowa, and took a subtle swipe at Romney's electability, saying, "What wins in America are bold ideas, sharp contrasts … ."

As of 1:30 a.m. today, the contest was still too close to call, with Santorum and Romney both at 25 percent and Congressman Ron Paul with 21 percent.

Santorum's success in Iowa came after more than a year of insisting his slow and steady, tortoise-and-the-hare approach would win the race. Santorum made up for little resources, staff or attention with a retail-style technique reminiscent of his early days in politics.

Santorum, who in 1990 unseated a Pennsylvania Democratic congressman by knocking on thousands of Pittsburgh-area doors, visited all 99 Iowa counties — often going it alone in a pickup truck against foes with SUVs, buses and planes.

He spent many months as a punch line or an afterthought, struggling to raise money and to be heard on the national stage. And as every other social conservative candidate was examined and cast aside, Santorum patiently went about meeting voters until it was his turn.

Santorum's sudden rise provided measurable gains for his shoestring campaign. Media inquiries intensified and new donations rained. Groups of volunteers began organizing on their own. Reality television's Duggar family, who star in the TLC show "19 and Counting," showed up in a bus with Santorum's name splashed on its side to join him on the campaign trail.

Greg Mueller, a former senior aide to Republican presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, said Santorum could just be the "New Hampshire surprise."

Conservatives have desperately been looking for an alternative to Mitt Romney, and after Santorum's strong Iowa showing "there might be a move by [New Hampshire] conservatives to get behind him to try and beat Romney there," Mueller said.

Claira Monier, a longtime Republican activist in New Hampshire, threw her support behind Santorum from the beginning, personally escorting him around the state to events where people hardly knew who he was.

Since his sudden surge, volunteers have begun to "trickle in," she said, but not in droves.

"We do not have the strongest organization, I'll be that honest: We have limited staff but they are very hard working and dedicated," she said. But the newfound media attention is helping, Monier said, and her friends in the state have been calling to tell her she backed the right guy.

New Hampshire residents will vote next Tuesday, followed by South Carolina on Jan. 21.

The Iowa results validate Santorum's candidacy, but G. Terry Madonna, a Pennsylvania political pollster who has long followed Santorum's career, said winning a state with a high percentage of evangelical Christians doesn't guarantee success elsewhere.

Before last week, expectations for Santorum were very low, which gives him the most room to grow going forward. But he'll need to show he has staying power.

Despite his recent upswing in Iowa, he does not have the financial infrastructure of Romney and he has baggage that his opponents will highlight, such as supporting Arlen Specter, whom conservatives loathe, and losing his Senate seat badly to Democrat Bob Casey in 2006.

Santorum's support in New Hampshire resembles what it's looked like the entire year elsewhere: low single-digits near the bottom on the pack.

Larry Sabato, a political analyst at the University of Virginia, said to expect Santorum to shoot up in New Hampshire and South Carolina polls after he's broken through in Iowa. But he said Santorum is not prepared for the long haul. His name won't even be on the ballot in his home state of Virginia.

"A good to great Iowa caucus showing will certainly boost Santorum. But once you have altitude, do you have sturdy wings and enough fuel to go places?" Sabato said. "At least at first, Santorum will not. Momentum alone can only carry you so far."